Before the Fall
by poetsheart
Summary: This story takes place before Kurama had to seek refuge in the human world. This is a love story between him and Tali, a sprite bound to her word, a girl so full of innocence that even the famous Kurama is having trouble corrupting her. KuramaXOC. Rated M for later themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is subject to the author's imagination. Themes may not be agreeable to all readers and the reader reserves the right to make comments and/or stop reading the story at any time. Any constructive criticism will be considered by the author and taken as a way to make her writing better. The Author does not own the characters of YYH and reserves ownership only to her created characters. **

**Authors Note: This story is set in a time before Yoko was hunted for his crimes and had to flee the demon world in search of sanctuary. As such, you, the reader, already have a pretty good idea of how this story will end. Bear with the first chapter as it may seem a little boring and slow. There is a lot to explain and little time to do it in. Happy reading. **

Deep in the woods of demon world, a tall spiraling castle like base sat atop a hill surrounded by numerous layers of electric fences and defensive mechanisms. Inside the building itself lay floor after floor armed to the ceiling with guards, wards, and spells to deter any thief that would be bold enough to break through the front gates. Level yellow sat below level orange, red, and black. Each level was riskier than the last and held new surprises for a would be thief. Level black held the vault of course, which was guarded by a single sentry who is currently asleep at her post.

Black-blue hair spilled over her arms and a light snoring sound emitted from her mouth. Behind her, the monitors for the outside gates began to beep. The tiny sprite merely adjusted her position so that she was more comfortable, and went back to sleep. In the seven years she had worked In the Honkyochi castle, no thief had ever made it past the first set of gates. Perhaps this is why she slept so well in a half sitting position. She had been doing it for a very long time. In that time, both she and the lower level guards had become complacent and lazy, something they all would regret as the night progressed.

"Tali!" A voice roared from her compact radio on her hip, "Report!"

"Un…wha…" rubbing her eyes, Tali sat up and switched her mic on. "I'm here"

"There has been a breech in the main gates!" Mr. Honkyochi barked. "What the hell are you doing? Sleeping on the job? That's not what I pay you to do!"

"Relax dad", Tali Honkyochi replied rubbing her eyes. "No one ever makes it to the second…awww…sonofawhale!" Looking at the monitors with utter disbelief, she watched as all seven levels of the outside walls light up on her screen as they were dismantled. "How?" she asked her self breathlessly.

"Do you see what I mean?" Her dad growled into the radio. "Can you get picture confirmation of who or what we are dealing with?"

"Working on it" she muttered back while typing furiously on the key board. Soon she was able to wake up the underused cameras and she caught a glimpse of silver on the screen. Her eyes widened as she switched the cameras from the outside to the inside set just in time to see a very famous face burst through level yellow and engage the guards in battle. Bandits poured into the building and jumped into action. Tali stood in terrified awe as the silver haired leader dismantled the wards and by passed the spells to break into level orange.

"REPORT DAMN IT!" Her father screamed, almost giving his daughter a heart attack.

"They are in level orange…Dad…I think it's time to send in reinforcements. I can hold them off for a time if they reach level Black, but I think these guys will break through my defenses in short order."

There was a pause, then she heard, "I'll do what I must to protect the vault. You have my word on that." The line to her father went dead.

What about me, dad? She thought with forlorn sadness. She noticed that he did not make a promise to protect her. Once a sprite makes a promise, they cannot go back on that promise without suffering either immense pain or death. A broken promise literally causes their body to attack itself. His carefully worded vow made it clear to Tali what his priority was, and it wasn't her. Not that she should be surprised but still, it hurt. She shook herself out of her reverie and looked back at the cameras. She was startled to see that level red had been defeated, and the bandits were gathered at her door while they watched their leader deftly dismantle the wards. Bracing herself for the battle to come, Tali summoned her defensive barrier to encompass her and vault behind her.

Her heart pounded as the mechanical hiss of the hydraulic powered doors announced the arrival of her unwanted guest. Piercing gold eyes met her electric blue ones that glowed as she reached into her energy reservoir to enhance the power of her barrier. Silver hair cascaded down a powerful shoulder as the leader of the bandits cocked his head to the side, a small grin gracing his face. She took a deep breath and discreetly let it out when no one attempted to approach her.

" Do you know who I am?" Yoko Kurama asked.

"Yes." She bit out the one word answer.

"Then do yourself a favor women and step aside."

"I can't. I made a vow to protect this vault."

"And you always keep your word…ahhh," he said when he breathed in her scent, "You are sprite who made a promise. Too bad it's about to be broken".

With that pronouncement, he lashed out against her barrier with his rose whip, testing her barrier for weaknesses. She flinched slightly as if the sting of the whip had touched her skin. He narrowed his eyes and lashed it again. Once again she flinched. _Any damage done to her barrier is done to her, at least in a small par,._ Kurama thought, almost feeling sorry for the little thing. Unfortunately for her, nothing was going to stop him from breeching her defensives and gaining the contents of that vault. He had worked too hard and planned for too long to allow himself to feel sorry for her, but he still stopped his assault to think of a way to get through and cause minimal damage to the girl. His right hand man, Kuronue, leaned in to speak to him softly.

"Every time she filched, there was a flicker in her barrier." He said out of the side of his mouth.

Upon a quick review, Kurama realized that Kuronue was right. Every time the girl felt pain from his strikes, her barrier would weaken in that moment. The quickest way to breech it was to cause her so much pain the he would be able to punch through it quicker than she could reinforce it. He turned to the dragon warrior in their group.

"Blast it with a medium level fire wave" he ordered softly.

The dragon, Kasai, nodded and concentrated on his attack. Tali noticed that something big was about to happen and braced herself for the attack. _I can't let them through. I promised to defend the vault to the best of my abilities. I have to give it my all. _ She thought, pulling the rest of her energy out of her reserve and sending it to her barrier. Kurama noticed her doubled efforts and amended his comment to Kasai with a thumb up, indicating him to kick it up a notch. Kasai nodded and his power level increased. The fiery shock wave he unleashed caused Tali's heart to flutter with unchecked terror. The shock wave slammed into her wall and she barely suppressed a scream as the pain blasted through her skull and heat rashes formed on her body. Another sharp pain of a different attack registered on her radar and she whimpered softly. She felt her energy flicker as her legs wavered beneath her, threating to bring her to her knees. Strong hands gripped her upper arms and a silky voice whispered at her ear, "Gotcha".

Tali trembled from pain and fear as silver hair tickled her face and arms. Kurama lifted her over his shoulder as he walked to the vault behind her. She groaned as another wave of pain slammed into her as the result of her broken promise. She hadn't used everything she had to reinforce the barrier. She had not tapped into her life source. Had she done that, the fox never would have made it through. She knew this but still elected not to use her life force for a stupid vault full of stupid material things. If she had to suffer the pain then so be it. Although, to be completely honest, she hadn't expected the attack to hurt so much or for Kurama to be so damn smart. Life was a bitch and loved to bitch slap Tali like this any opportunity it got. As Kurama set her against the wall she slumped to the ground on, she knew that the backlash from her father was what she really needed to fear. He didn't give a damn about her. His precious "investments", items she knew nothing about, were all he cared about.

"How do I get in?" Kurama asked her, his focus on the wards on the door.

"Bite me." She gasped out at him.

"Stubborn little sprite.," he chuckled as he spoke then concentrated harder on the wards. After a minute he said "Ahhhh". And began to chant under his breath. After a few beats, the doors hissed open and Tali glanced inside curiously. It was empty.

"What the fuck?" Kuronue burst out when he saw nothing in the vault.

"I think we have been played". Kurama said softly, dangerously.

"Correct," Tali heard her father speak from the speakers on the wall and started. Had he been watching the whole time? "You have been played. We knew sooner or later the famous Yoko Kurama would make his appearance at our door. So we moved the reassures to a different location. In turn, we spread the news and boasted about our treasures and security systems to lure you out. Now, it's time to take care of this little problem once and for all".

"OUT. NOW." Kurama roared at his men.

Before anyone could make a move, an alarm sounded as the buildings power went out and the doors dead locked, sealing them all in the room. Tali felt panic well up inside her and through the pain, she was able to feel the changes begging in the room. Her lungs felt like they were slowly collapsing in on themselves and her breathing became more shallow. _Gas, _she thought, _he's gassing us. _But that wasn't the end of the assault . she knew her father. He would leave nothing to chance. As a fire spread through the air, fueled by the gas from the air vents, she decided she hated being right. Electric sparks showed her from the ceiling as the lights exploded above her. As she floated away on a cloud of pain and lack of oxygen, she barely felt two powerful arms scoop her up and run for the vault.

Kurama scooped up the nearly unconscious sprite as he and his men stumbled for the vault. Once inside, he called on his vines to seal it shut and summoned a few demon trees that fed off toxins in the air and emitted clean, safe oxygen. The room filled with sighs of relief and he watched as the girl in his arms started to show signs of life again. He bounced her a little in his arms to jolt her awake.

"Hey. Listen to me. This room only has so much air in it. We have to get out. This vault's back leads to the outside complex yes?"

"Yeah," she replied groggily, "If you want to jump 90 feet to your death."

"Take her," he said handing her off to Kuronue, "And stand back."

He called out his rose whip and increased the amount of energy he normally put into the weapon. He cocked his arm back and hit the wall with a powerful strike. The thorns cut through the metal and they could see the solid brick behind it. Several more lashes, and the shape of a rectangle took place.

"Push it out." He said and his men rushed to obey him, pushing with all their might until the chunk of metal and rock fell to the ground below. Calling on his vines, he created a zip line from the vault to the grounds outside the castles gates. He bade his men to slide to their safety. He waited until all but Kuronue were out and then turned to his partner.

"Give me the girl and go."

"What about you?" Kuronue asked handing Tali over.

"I'll be behind you. Go."

Kuronue way wrapped a piece of cloth from his clothes around the vine and slide down the vine out of view. Kurama bounced the girl in his arms again to wake her up. Her head lolled back as she looked up at him with unfocused eyes.

"If you want to live, "he said setting her on her unsteady feet only to place her arms around his neck and lift her up again, "I suggest you hang on."

"Okay." She said, battling through the pain to hold on to him as tight as she could. She felt him brace himself, then air began to whip around them. She kept her eyes closed tightly and buried her face in his shoulder. The sound of an explosion, however, had her eyes snapping back open. Level black ignited and sent scraps of metal and rock their way. To make matters worse, the fire was spreading down the vines rapidly. Kurama cursed as they began to free fall. Wrapping both his arms around her, he summoned a large squishy type plant that Tali couldn't identify, to break their fall. They landed on it and rolled off with Tali trapped beneath the fox. He used his big body to shield her from the next shock wave that rocked the building. Then he was up and running, dragging her along with him.

"Come on!" he yelled as she lagged behind. She struggled to keep up with him, panting as her body screamed at her to stop. As they ran, he summoned his rose whip again and lashed a hole through the outside gates. He did this seven times before they were out of compound and in the woods. Someone yelled , "BOSS! DOWN!" as the world around them shook. Kurama dropped to the ground, taking Tali beneath him. A large chunk of brick slammed into the ground a head of them. If they had not ducked in time, both Tali and Kurama would be dead. The ground shaking began to subside and Kurama lifted himself off her and stood by her, looking at the fiery remains of the compound.

"Son of a bitch tried to kill us." Kuronue growled.

"Let's make them pay!" another bandit snarled.

"We will." Kurama said quietly as he looked down at Tali. "What about you? He tried to kill you too."

She rolled over and looked up at him, fire burning in her eyes. "I'd be happy to assist you in that." She flinched as another spark of pain hit her. She growled, "as soon as I recover."

"Kurama, do you think using an inside man…sorry, woman , is wise? What if she narks on us?" Kuronue asked, crouching beside the sprite and peering into her eyes.

"I won't." she said softly, dangerously.

Kurama crouched beside her too and took her chin in his hand, turning her face to his. "Then vow it. Vow that you won't betray us. Period. "

"I will not betray you so long as you don't betray me" she vowed.

Chuckles sounded from the group and Kurama smiled. "Smart girl." And that was the last thing Tali heard before darkness claimed her.


	2. Chapter 2

Tali woke up with a start. She could still feel the heat from the explosion caressing her face and she shuddered. _What a nightmare_, she thought as she started to get up. Her world quickly came crashing down on her when she remembered the events of last night, in full, and realized that she wasn't in her room at her father's house. She was in an unfamiliar room that was completely white. White bedding, white walls, white furniture, and white window blinds for crying out loud. Underneath the white comforter she wore a white night gown. _It's silk_ she thought when she rubbed the material between her thumb and forefinger. _How did I get into this? When did I change? More importantly, where am I?_ she struggled to stand, her body still not completely recovered from her broken promise syndrome. She remembered vowing to Kurama that she would not betray him, so long as he didn't betray her. _So I guess I am at his…home base…or whatever. _She walked to the door and cautiously peeked out only to leap back and fall on her butt when a perky little fox demon all dressed in pink popped up out of nowhere and said "HI!"

"Hello", Tali said cautiously from her position on the floor. "I'm sorry…who are you and where am I?"

"Oh! Silly me! I am Aimee! You are Tali right! Right?! It's sooooo nice to have another girl here! OH! You are in Kurama's room! We don't have space for you yet, we were not expecting any more people to join so Boss put you to bed and went to sleep in the garden, isn't he wonderful?!"

Tali rubbed her head at this fast flow of information. She could really do without all those exclamations. The girl...Aimee, was a little too excited about everything. Who ever heard of a pink fox demon? Pink hair to match her attire, pink eyes, pink, pink ,pink. It was almost worse than white. Aimee was also obviously obsessed and in love with her "Boss". Tali shook her head once then struggled to stand. Aimee reached her hand out and Tali took it, gasping when she was on her feet in less than a second. Pinky was stronger than she looked.

"Oh you poor thing! You must still be tired. Back to bed with you! I'll bring you something to eat and something to wear. Can't have you walking through the compound with all the men whistling can we?" Aimee winked and skipped out the door despite the fact that Tali called for her to wait. Sighing, she climbed back into bed and arranged the pillows so she could sit up. Looking at her arms, she could see that someone had wrapped them and she could smell some sort of herbal scent coming from the bandages. From the cooling effects she knew that the herbs were to both dull the pain and heal. Her skin didn't feel nearly as itchy as it should at this point. But the fact that she was bandaged, all over her body, and clean from the smell of her hair, that meant that someone had undressed her, bathed her, bandaged her up, then re dressed her last night. _I seriously hope it wasn't him. _She thought, her cheeks filling with heat.

"is that blush for me?" someone teased causing Tali to gasp in shock. Kuronue grinned at her from the door way and she glared back. "Sorry to startle you." He said, not sounding sorry at all. "I just came to see if you were awake.,"

"I am surprised Aimee isn't telling everyone that I am." Tali muttered.

"Ahhhh, you met Aimee. What did you think of her?"

"She's nice. A little too excited about everything and hardcore in love with your Boss. Also she loves pink too much, but she is nice."

"Ha, yup that sounds like Aimee. How are your injuries? Have you recovered?" he asked peering at her bandages.

"I am better. Much better than I should be. I still can't seem to get my legs to respond to the commands from my brain, but that's just a small annoyance." Kuronue regarded her with calculating eyes then nodded. Just then, Aimee popped back into the room grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm backkkkkkkkkkkkkk! Did you miss me? Good to see you Kuronue! Tali I've got food and clothes for you! Kurama wants to see you after words and I'll take you to him!" She set the food down on the little sitting area table and clapped her hands. As Aimee helped Tali out of bed, she noticed that Kuronue was looking at Aimee with some sort of wistful…something in his eyes. _He must like her a little more than he lets on. _She thought as she sat down at the table. Aimee chattered away as Kuronue scooted off to give them privacy. She tuned out Aimee as she ate the fruit platter in front of her. It was some of the best fruits she had ever tasted and they seemed to be very fresh, like they were just picked. When she mentioned this to Aimee, the girl smiled and clapped her hands.

"Kurama grows them. He is reallllllllly good with plants. Something he probably demonstrated last night. He's the one who fixed you up you know. I helped though! " Pinky smiled happily as she plucked some fruit off Tali's plate. _Well thank goodness for small favors. _Tali thought. At least there was someone else to supervise him. His reputation in the bedroom was almost as famous as his reputation as a thief. Since all the other rumors about him had been true, she wasn't about to doubt the fact that he had an enhanced libido. She just hoped that he kept his hands to himself. She hoped that they all kept their hands to themselves. Just the thought of anyone touching her like that nearly had her hyperventilating.

"You okay chicka?" Aimee asked, a worried frown on her face.

"I'm fine. Just fine. Just let me go change and we can go see Kurama." Tali stood up, a little more steady now that she had some food in her stomach. She quickly pulled on a dress (pink..,yuck), and some white sandals and ran a brush through her hair. She indicated to Aimee that she was ready to go and Aimee skipped out the door and down a long white bricked hall way without waiting to see if Tali was following. Every twelfth brick there was a door or a window. She didn't have time to look into the rooms, but when she looked out the window she could see lush gardens surrounded by high walls with vines wrapped lazily around them. A little stream she glimpsed in one window was revealed to disappear behind a set of large weeping oaks in another window. They came to a set of stairs and Tali sighed as she struggled down them.

"How much further?" she called to Aimee who was several feet a head of her.

"Not too much farther! Are you tired? I can carry you the rest of the way!"

"Nanana, I'm good thanks." Tali said politely waving the overzealous girl odd. In truth, Tali would rather chew off her own hand than be seen carried by this little fox who was half her height. They continued on, occasionally passing one of the bandits who would nod at Aimee's greetings and openly appraise her. She stiffened her spine and kept walking even though she was sure she was going to keel over any minute. The muscles in her legs burned. Finally they came to a door that opened to the outside of the compound and Aimee waved her through it.

"See that clearing over there? He's waiting for you under the trees!" Aimee smiled then gave Tali a kiss on the cheek. "Pass that along to him would you?" she said laughing as she skipped away. _How about NO. _Tali thought as she wobbled to her destination. She had to stop at the trees and catch her breath. He breath sawed in and out of her lungs and she felt dizzy. _Stupid broken promise syndrome._ She thought as he world spun. Two strong arms wrapping around her middle sent her into a fight or flight mode. She tried to nail the person behind her in the stomach but a hand caught her elbow and held on. She used her body weight and slammed her self-backwards, breaking the hold on her and sending her attacker sprawling. She spun around to face him or her and saw Kurama on the ground, sitting up on his elbows with an eye brow arched.

"Remind me never to sneak up on you again." He said, a grin playing on his lips.

"don't ever sneak up on me again. Your only warning." She replied with a snarky tone.

He chuckled and stood. Slowly, so she could see what he was doing, he placed his hand on the small of her back and turned her to the trees. His hand held her steady when she needed it, and when they came to the clearing, Tali couldn't help but smile. Two logs were set on the ground around a fire pit so people could sit down and speak to one another if they wished. A few feet away was a pound that fed the stream with the clearest water she had ever seen. Pink, green, and blue fish swam around lazily and a few even poked their heads up like they were greeting her. A light breeze swayed the leaves and rustled the grassed. Tali breathed deep and felt some of her strength return to her. Sprites were elemental by nature, and being near nature is what gives them their strength. Maybe that's why her father kept her locked in her room all the time as a child and barley let her leave it as an adult.

"Is this helping?" Kurama asked, although it was more than a statement than a question.

"Yes." She said as he settled her on one log, then sat on the one across from her. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, while she breathed in the air around her.

"Thank you for coming to my aid. I didn't except that." She said softly.

"Damsel in distress. I don't get the play hero very often." He gave her a half smile and shrug, "How could I pass the chance up?"

"You also want something from me." She stated staring him down. Or trying to. He only chuckled.

"That's true. I do want something from you. Your knowledge on the Honkyochi empire." His steady gaze never left hers.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"We will get to that in a minute. First things first. You know who I am. Who are you?" he asked.

"Well, my name is Tali. As you know I am a sprite." She shrugged not really knowing what else to say.

"How did you come to work for Honkyochi?"

"He ordered me to. What dad wants dad gets".

"He's your father…that's…unexpected. He still tried to kill me even with you in the room."

"He only cares about what he has that is his and what he can control. If he feels that you are standing in the way of something he wants, he will not hesitate to go through you no matter who you are. Being his daughter doesn't give me any privileges. When his wife couldn't produce him a child, he killed her and married another. When she gave him a daughter, me, he killed her because he wanted a son. That's just who he is. He may not want me, but he still found use for me so he kept me around. " she looked away from him and to the water. "that's just how he is, she said again , shrugging and pushing away some dark memories.

"You fear him."

"After all he has put me through? You bet I do. I am a tool to him, nothing more. He doesn't give a damn about me. I call him "dad" because he demands that I do so. He's not my daddy. He's just a sperm donor as far as I am concerned."

"So he has a controlling and from what I am gathering, a dark nature. As I witnessed he is very violent and has skilled magicians working for him to place the wards on the walls. He has money and power and is cunning enough to catch me unaware. He will be a formidable foe." He said, cocking his head to the side.

"Don't sound so excited." She muttered.

"Can't help it. I haven't had a challenge like this in quite some time. This might even be fun."

"Yeah right,. Fun. That's what he is. Just oodles and oodles of fun."

"What did he do to you?" Kurama asked, staring at her intently.

"None of your business." She bit out.

He studied her for a minute then shrugged, dropping the matter for the time being. But he was very curious. This girl was becoming more and more of a puzzle and he was determined to solve this puzzle. He watched as she picked at the hem of her dress, shifting around uncomfortably. When she looked up and saw him staring, she narrowed her eyes and stared back. He couldn't help it. The laugh he had been holding down since the moment she knocked him to the ground bubbled up inside him and spilled out his mouth. He was doubled over laughing while Tali stared at him miffed. _What is so damn funny?_ She wondered.

"Why are laughing?" She said out loud, "Stop it right now!" she stomped her foot on the ground which only served to make him laugh harder.

"I'm laughing at you," he said when his laughter subsided. "You are so tiny, so fragile and full of secretes, yet you don't hesitate to stare down a hardened criminal like me." He gave her a toothy grin.

"My dad's a hardened criminal. It's an acquired habit.." she muttered.

He chuckled. "Back to your father. Do you know where he moved the "treasure" as he calls it?"

"Ummm, there are a few locations that he could have moved them to. I can locate them for you on a map. I might even be able to help you with the defense systems. If you want layouts or blue prints, I am useless. I have only ever worked at the one compound."

"How likely is your father to use the same layout for them all?"

"Not likely. You saw how far he was willing to go to kill you. He blew up his entire base and killed who knows how many staff members to get to you. He even was willing to kill me. He leaves nothing, and I mean nothing to chance. He will have a different set up for each base. There will be different defensive mechanisms in place to deter you." She paused, then said, "From what I am gathering, you are still after whatever was in that vault. Do you intend to steal whatever it was first, then kill him, or the other way around?"

"Whatever was in the vault…? You didn't even know what it was you were supposed to be guarding?" Kurama asked sounding incredulous.

"Dad wasn't exactly the "sharing type" Kurama. Maybe it was empty the whole time. Who knows?" she sighed. Her strength was returning rapidly, but she was still tired. She hoped this conversation would be over soon.

"Aren't you going to ask me what was in there?" he smiled at her.

"Fine. What was in the vault that you almost died to get?"

"Have you heard of the "Gates to Hell"?"

"Ummmm, isn't that a human artists rendition of what the gates into hell would look like?"

"Well, it is. But these "gates to hell" are not a depiction of the actual gates. It's a key. This key allows the user to access any lock he, or she, desires. It was named "the gates to hell" to emphasize that sometimes what you find behind a locked door should have remained there untouched. Users have, in the past, gotten drunk off the power. The ability to obtain any object you desire can be quite over powering."

"No wonder you want it. With it you can enter any vault you want." She murmured.

"Yes. As for your earlier question, I'll take the key first. Then, your father is as good as dead."

"Dunnn dunnn dunnnnnnnnnn." Tali jumped at the sound of Kuronue's voice. Looking over her shoulder she glared up at him. He grinned down at her. "Kurama does like to be dramatic. I just thought it was a good time to insert some theme music to lighten the mood."

"Careful Kuronue, she has a tendency to lash out when you sneak up on her." Kurama said with a small smile.

"Yeah, I saw that," the bat said laughing, "How could a tiny thing like her knock the mighty Kurama on his ass?"

"Watch it Kuronue." Kurama growled.

"I did. Timmmmmberrrrrrrrrrrr bashoooooooooo." He mimicked a tree falling to the ground, grinning the whole time.

Tali laughed, and both men started, staring at her. "What?" she asked, frowning.

"Awwww, so cute when you smile. Give us another one." Kuronue said making a funny face at her.

She tried to stop the grin from spreading on her face, but his silliness won and she smiled again. Kurama sat back and watched the two interact with some amusement. If Kuronue liked her, then the rest of his men shouldn't be too far behind him. There was an argument last night over trusting the girl, one that ended in a bitter silence. Kurama did not want his men divvied up. After his last partner, he knew what that kind of thing could lead to for a group. He did not want to have to order another assignation with a killer.

"Alright you two, let's get back inside. It's time to strategize on how we are going to get that key and take this bastard down." His eyebrow twitched when he could see clearly that neither of the were paying any attention to him. They were too busy goofing off and making stupid faces at each other. He let out a shrill whistle and they both stopped their antics to look at him. "As I was saying…let's go." He stood up and pointed at the building.

"Spoil sport." Kuronue said with a mock pout causing Tali to giggle. Kurama rolled his eyes as he led the group back inside. They bypassed the stairs and walked into a room just inside the door. Inside was a mess hall of sorts with men crowded around the tables eating or just chatting. Some of them had women at their sides and were having make out sessions. Tali avoided looking at them and kept her eyes on Kurama's back. They made their way to the front of the room and Kurama stopped abruptly, causing Tali to walk into his back. He turned and steadied her before addressing the group as a whole.

"Tali has said that she may know of a few locations that Honkyochi could be holding the key. Once we have a general idea of the locations, we can start putting a plan in motion. Kasai, get the map."

The dragon walked to the back of the room and pulled down a large wall map. For the next half hour, Tali pointed out the locations of the compounds that she knew her father owned. With Kurama's knowledge of those areas, they were able to narrow down the locations to a five mile radius. Kurama set up teams to scout all three areas, advising them to locate and detect but not to molest.

"Yo boss," one of the snarly looking snake demons said from the back of the room, "who is this woman? And why are we trusting her Intel?"

"Uhhh because she worked for him, use your brain man!" said another bandit with spiky blue hair.

"Who she is , is simple. She is Tali Honkyochi, daughter of our new friend and would be murderer. As he tried to kill her too, she had more than enough motivation to help us. She knows how her father operates which gives us an advantage when we go in for the final confrontation. It will also help us to locate the key. As most of you know, she is a sprite who has made a vow to help us, and not betray us, so long as we do not betray her. Any other questions?" Kurama asked the group as a whole.

When no one else spoke up, he redirected their attention to the map. Tali directed their attention to a secluded section on the map. "This is where his humble abode is." She stated. "It is surrounded by lava so hot it will melt your skin in less than a second if you touch it. Behind the moat is a fence that looks harmless until you touch it. It emits electricity on suck a high magnitude that I have seen demons rip out their own heart just to escape the pain. Beyond that is a harmless looking area surrounded by trees. However, it is guarded by volatile plants that attack at any sign of motion. If you manage to make it past all that, there are guards all throughout the first and second levels of the house. Once on the third level, there is a large, dog like creature that resides there. My father starves him to keep him vicious. After that, it's a clear path way to my father's living quarters, although by that time, he will probably be in his panic room and good luck either finding it or getting into it. No, I have no idea where it's located on that floor. I don't venture into his space so I don't know what it looks like or how it is laid out or what kind of traps he may keep there. There will be traps. My dad leaves nothing to chance." She took a deep breath after her long speech and looked back at the men who were watching her. "Do not, I repeat do not underestimate him." She looked at Kurama. "He's kind of like you. Always planning several steps ahead of everyone else."

The room erupted as each man made sure his input on how to proceed was heard. Kurama listened and vetoed ideas, approved some and gave the "wait and see" gestures to the ideas that would be placed on the back burner. Tali watched the progression with a small smile. No wonder these guys were so successful. As they chattered away, she sat down in a chair at a table by herself and just watched. After a few minutes, she felt her eyelids start to droop. She was getting tired again. Her body wasn't hurting as bad as she had been this morning, but her body still needed time to recover. A knock on the table beside her head jolted her out of her sleepiness and she looked up at Kasai who shoved a plate of food in front of her.

"Boss says eat." He said, sitting beside her. "How are you feeling?" he asked before she could take a bite.

"Better."

"I'm sorry for how bad my attack weakened you." He said gruffly. " I had a sister who kind of looked like you. It slayed me to do it, but we really want that key."

Tali swallowed the bite of food she was chewing on and took a drink of water. After a moment she said, "it's okay. I knew what I had promised to do and what could happen when I did it. I feel kind of stupid by how obvious my barriers weakness was. " she said with a smile. "No hard feelings."

"Good." He said then fell into silence. The room around her had emptied out a bit, she noticed, and most of the men were either eating or playing games at the tables. Kurama came over and sat at her table in front of her. Kuronue came to sit on her left hand side, popping grapes in his mouth.

"Are you a fruit bat?" she teased.

"Oh, he's fruity alright." Kasai said rolling his eyes.

"Maybe a little bit." Kuronue said winking at her.

"HI TALI!" Aimee shouted right into Tali's ear.

"Sonofawhale! Don't _do_ that!" Tali yelled back, hand over her heart. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she asked the girl who was currently hugging her and giving her a big smooch on the cheek.

"Nope, nope, nope. No heart attacks! Ooooo, Kurama! Tali can bunk with me until a room is set up for her!" Aimee jumped up and down, and before Kurama could reply she said, "Oh, Tali, did you pass on my message?"

Tali blinked, then remembered the "message". "ummm, that would be a no. You wanna give him that kind of message do it yourself."

"Spoil sport!" Aimee said, pouting for a second before perking up. "we could get bunk beds!"

"What?"

"For my room silly!"

"Ummmm…." Tali searched for something to say, and Kurama smirked at her.

"Aimee. Tali will use my room again. I'll sleep in the garden. But you can help her set up her room in the morning." he tacked on the last part so that the girl wouldn't give him the puppy eyes she always did when she wanted something.

"Okay dokay!" Pinky said before smacking Tali's cheek again with a kiss and skipping off.

"Where did you find her?" Tali asked, a little dazed.

"Oh Kurama looks tough but he's a big softie on the inside. He found her wandering alone in the woods and brought her here when she was just a kit. She's been all gaga eyes over him ever since. " Kuronue said rolling his eyes. Kurama punched him in the shoulder, knocking him off his chair.

"Softie my ass."

"Nope it's kind of firm"

"kind of? "

"Look who is all offended."

"I don't do bats. "

"Okayyyyyyy lalalala can't hear this!" Tali said covering her ears and blushing. They all laughed at her.

"Get used to this kind of talk honey. It's how they all are." Kasai said rising from his seat. "I'm off. Need to catch some Z's before the scouting trip tomorrow."

"Night!" Tali said waving as he walked out.

"You look like you could use some sleep too." Kurama said, watching her yawn behind her hand.

"Yeah, I'm beat. " She stood, a little unsteady.

"Can you find your way back to the room?" Kuronue asked eyeing her wobbling legs.

"I'll be fine. Thank you. Night."

"Goodnight Tali. " Kurama said quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note: I have another story called "The King and His Queen". I started writing it when I was a few years younger, but it never developed into anything. I will be deleting it now, as this story is the same kind of story and more developed than that one. **

**Thank you for the review darlin'**

**WARNING! Lemon. Soft core. But there. **

* * *

Tali was bored. Kurama had denied her request to join one of the scouting parties so now she was sitting at the pond doing nothing. Well, she wasn't doing _nothing,_ she was also hiding form Aimee. After spending so much time alone, locked away in her room, then locked up in the highest level of that compound that served as her prison for seven years, having someone around her as much as Aimee was chaffed her badly. She supposed that since she had never been allowed to make friends that she should take the friendship offered. "Baby steps" she muttered to herself. Great, now she was in a dark mood. Memories of a dark secluded room occasionally visited by monsters will do that to a person. Sighing she decided to go back to being bored.

She understood Kurama not wanting her to go with the men on one of the scouting trips. She had no experience in the matter and she might botch up the mission. But still, there had to be something she could do rather than sit on her butt in front of the pond and talk to the fish. Suddenly her face brightened in a smile when she realized that there was something she could do. She stood up and dusted herself off. Taking one last breath of fresh air, she headed back to the compound in search of some paper and a writing utensil.

"You can use my office whenever you want." Kurama has told her this morning when she had asked what the door next to his bedroom led to. She intended to use it now. Opening the door, she stopped just inside when she saw a strange site. Aimee was sitting on the couch looking sad. She sniffed when she looked up and Tali with red eyes. Tali swayed at the door, unsure if she should go into the office or leave the girl by herself. Finally, she decided to enter the room and close the door, approaching the desk cautiously.

"He doesn't notice me." Aimee said sniffing into her hand.

"Who doesn't notice you?" Tali asked reaching the desk.

"Kurama."

"Umm…." She located paper in a drawer then turned to Aimee. "He spoke to you last night."

"But he didn't look at me!" she wailed.

Tali blew out a breath of air slowly. She had no idea what to say. This was a foreign subject to her. She grabbed up a pencil and sat down in the chair behind Kurama's desk. As she began to sketch the outside of the home she grew up in, she searched for something to say.

"He doesn't really look at any one," she offered quietly, " He kind of just glances at you then goes back to staring at something only he seems to be able to see."

"He looks at you." Aimee said, startling her. Tali looked at the girl to see if she was serious. She was. "I don't think he looks at me anymore than he would at one of his men. It's not like we have long soulful conversations."

Silence passed between them as Tali continued with her drawings. She sketched the outside of the house as a general sketch, then began to sketch what she recalled of the traps on each level of the outside defenses. When she had started to sketch the inside of the first level of the house, Aimee jumped up off the couch she was sitting on and began to pace the room.

"I mean, it's not like I am unnoticeable," Aimee continued the conversation like there hadn't been a long awkward pause in it, "I guess he still just sees me as a kit."

"How old are you?" Tali asked, pausing in her sketch to listen.

"106!" Aimee said proudly, then she frowned. "Although, compared to him, I might as well be in diapers. But hey! I am all grown up now! I have boobs and curves and everything!" Aimee appraised Tali then said, "But yours are bigger, and you have nicer curves and an hourglass figure. But still! I've known him all my life practically and you have only known him for a day!"

Hoping to distract the girl, Tali asked, "How did you meet him?"

Aimee's face lit up. "I was just a kit back then. I had barely made it from spirit animal to my demon form. I left alone to my own devises since I was little because I was the runt of the litter. So I was used to being alone and fending for myself. But I wasn't very good at it. Mostly, I would steal the food from other people. One day, I came across this camp where several people were surrounding a fire. The food smelt so good and I was so hungry that I couldn't help but attempt to take some of it. One of the men set his plate down beside him as he took a drink of some wine, and I darted in. I stole a bird leg off his plate and ran back to the bushes. I ate it quickly while listening to some crass jokes. Another man wasn't guarding his plate either so I snuck in and stole some bread. I grew bolder every time I took something and no one noticed. Finally, I snuck in to grab a jug of water that was sitting next to a man who was closer to the fire than the rest. It was stupid. I know that now, but I was cocky. I was about two steps behind him when his ears twitched and he looked over his shoulder at me. I remember just staring at him in awe. He was gorgeous and I instantly had a crush on him. Despite the fact I was pretty sure he was about to kill me. "

Aimee paused in her story and looked up at Tali with a happy smile. "you know what he did? He waved me over to him. He said "I noticed you when you took Kasai and Kuronue's food. Your pink hair is hard to miss." He invited me to sit beside him, and the rest of his men laughed at me. They had noticed me too. Kurama let me drink out of his cup and Kuronue made me a plate. It was the nicest thing any one had ever done for me. When they got up to go to their tents, I followed them. I slept at the foot of Kurama's cot. I have been with them ever since."

"He trained you to be a thief?" Tali asked.

"Yeah!" Aimee said happily.

"Maybe he sees you like a little sister." Tali said, then panicked when the girl frowned at her. "I'm sorry honey. I'm not good at this. I too have lived alone most of my life and well, I have never dated any one so giving you advice is out of the question. I'm bad at this. I'm sorry."

"You have never been courted?!" Aimee shouted, her jaw dropping. "As pretty as you are, men should be climbing over themselves to get to you!"

Tali took a sharp breath and choked on the air. Suddenly dizzy, dark memories crashed over her in a wave. Whispers in the dark when the monsters came to call. A touch here, a nasty promise there, the sound of laughter. Hands grabbing her, unspeakable pain between her legs, she shuddered over and over again.

"Are you okay?" Aimee asked rushing to her side. "you are shaking and pale. Do you need to rest some more?"

"No. No, I am fine. Just got dizzy there for a second." Tali waved off the girls concerns.

"Good think we did not have you go with one of the scouting parties." A voice said at the door. Both girls jumped and looked over at where Kurama was leaning against the door jam.

"How long have you been there?" Tali squeaked.

"A few seconds. " He said. "Aimee," he glanced at the girl then looked back at Tali, " Go see Kuronue and compile a list of what everyone learned about the compounds today."

"Yes sir!" She said, saluting him. Kurama sent a small smile in Aimee's direction then walked to his desk as the girl skipped out the door.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She showed him the sketches she had made and explained them in more detail than the night before. He shuffled through them nodding. "It's good to have more Intel." He said.

"Well, I am doing the best I can. I have only seen these parts maybe a dozen times. Some things will probably change as dad has probably realized by now that we are still alive and that well, I did not return to him. He can put two and two together."

"Do you think that he has figured all this out in one day?" Kurama asked, doubtful.

"Well, if he has not figured it out yet, he will. And soon.:

Kurama nodded, lost in thought. Tali could see what Aimee had been rambling on about. He was handsome in a "shiver me timbers" kind of way. If a woman looked at him for too long, they started to shiver. His aura was overwhelming when he stood next to her for more than a minute. She had to remind herself to breathe. She tired not to tense up too much when he reached past her, brushing her arm in the process. His hand settled on her pictures of the interior and he seemed to pause like he was decided what questions to ask her. He vetoed the idea a few seconds later and straightened.

"Lunch is ready." He said instead. " Afterwards, you and I have somewhere to be."

After lunch, Tali stood outside the front gates waiting for Kurama to arrive. She was dressed in black pants and a black top, and her hair was pulled back revealing slightly pointed ears. Kurama had told her to dress for stealth. She figured black was a safe way to go although she still did not entirely know what they were going to do. A hand grabbing her pony tail and throwing her to the ground left her stunned. She had just enough time to roll away when a foot almost planted it's self in her stomach. Before she could stand up, she had the air knocked out of her by a kick to the side. She grabbed that foot and yanked with all her might in the second that her attacker was off balance, she kicked his other leg and he fell to the ground. She scrambled up to flee then stopped, utterly pissed.

"Kurama what the hell?" she asked.

Instead of responding, he leaped to his feet in a matter of seconds and slammed her up against a tree. His hands were like vice grips on her upper arms and the balls of his feet were planted firmly on hers. He looked down at her coolly.

"If I was your enemy, you would be dead by now, or worse. You need to override the instinct that tells you to flee. You need to heighten your senses. Did you even hear me approach?"

"No." she muttered. I'll never be able to hear like you do. And how do you walk so softly anyway?"

He smiled a little. "It's called ghosting. Basically means to "walk like a ghost."

"that's ridiculous… but I guess it's effective. You want to let go of me now?" she glared at him.

"Make me little girl." He mocked.

"You know I can't!"

"Put your arms through mine and cross them. Grab my right arm with your left hand and vice versa. Good. Now, do you feel the cords in the center of my arms?" When she nodded he continued. "In a second, put pressure on that part. This will loosen my grip. At the same time, throw your body down to put weight on my arms…." Before he could finish speaking, Tali did exactly as he had told her. She pressed down and threw her weight down, causing him to release her and stumble back slightly. Like a child, she shoved him in the chest, sending him on a backwards free fall. He laughed and hooked a foot around her ankle, causing her to fall with him. She landed on top of him and said " oomph" as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Kurama grabbed her wrists and held them behind her back as he rolled so that he was on top. He pinned her down with his body, and she fought off a wave of panic.

"No fair." She said lightly, trying to hid her panic. "So not fair." She said again.

He looked down at her and assessed her. He wasn't hurting her, that much he knew. She still had a pained look on her face. Her injuries had recovered and although she was a little weak, there was no reason for that expression to be on her face. His eyes narrowed down at her as her body began to shake with fear.

"Well," he said gently, "I can guess what happened to you in your father's house" then his features grew stern. "But you have to get over it. As soon as another demon sees that fear, he or she will exploit it." He released her wrists and pushed his body off of hers. "If you go into a full blown panic every time some ones does anything to you that is even remotely sexual, you will be a sitting duck." He stood and held out his hand. Even though her skin was crawling, she reached up and took his hand. He pulled her to her feet. She realized that holding his hand wasn't an issue. The act of having him on top of her had caused the panic. She realest his hand and sighed.

" You are right of course. I just, I don't know how not to panic, you know? My last encounter of a…forced sexual nature wasn't that long ago. How do you block that from your mind? I can't unsee it. I can't unfeel it. Those memories will never stop haunting me! Pain and fear in that type of situation is all I have ever known, that and shame. Lots of shame… "She babbled faster and faster then trailed off when Kurama approached her slowly. She backed up and hit the trunk of a different tree, more secluded from the front gates.

"What?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

He didn't say anything before placing his fingers under her chin and lifting her face to his. His firm lips pressed softly into hers and his tongue traced the seam of her lips. She shuddered, but this time it wasn't fear that caused it. His lips and tongue coaxed her to open her mouth, and she did a fraction. His tongue took full advantage and she gasped when he tickled the roof of her mouth. He deepened the kiss, sucking on her tongue and touching every crevasse in her mouth with his. His lips moved easily over hers as his hand slid from her chin to her neck where he held her firm. He nibbled on her bottom lip. _You can join in any time you know. _ His eyes teased. _I don't know how!_ Her eyes said back. _Do what I do. _He responded, before claiming her lips again. So she imitated him, shyly and felt his groan of approval vibrate against her body as he pressed himself more firmly against her. Panic threatened to flare up and he pulled away to look at her.

"sorry," she said, cheeks turning bright red, " I'm.." he interrupted her flow of speech with another kiss. He pulled her from the tree and pulled her more securely against his body. She gasped when his hardness pressed against her belly and his hands roamed to cup her bottom as he raised her to his level. With a squeak, she wrapped her legs around his waist, just like he hand intended. He trailed his kisses down her neck and throat, nipping along the way. She shuddered as the first ounce of desire she had ever felt started to bloom.

"I can erase those memories if you like." He whispered in a dark and husky voice. "I can make you feel better than you have ever felt. Would you like me to demonstraight?" he punctuated his question with roll of his hips. She gasped. The throbbing below began to intensify when he licked up the column of her throat.

"I..I…I" she stuttered, too overwhelmed to say anything. Kurama stopped, his ears twitching, then sighed and set her down on her feet. "We have company." He said smirking down at her startled and slightly disappointed face. He stepped away from her and his cool mask slipped into place. She envied him. She wished she could wipe her face clean like that. Kuronue stepped through the trees smirking a little.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked coyly.

"Just combat training." Kurama said in a bored voice. Kuronue way lifted an eyebrow but thankfully said nothing.

"Did you want something?" Kurama asked, starting at that space that no one seemed to occupy.

"I was bored. So I came to find you. I thought we could make some plans for the attack on the compounds, but I see you are….occupied."

Tali turned her face away so he couldn't see the blush. To cover her embarrassment, she blurted the first question that came to her head. "How do you guys walk so quietly?"

"be at one with nature grasshopper. " Kuronue said smiling. "Kurama hasn't showed you that yet? Guess he had something else on his..oomph!" He grunted when Kurama nailed him in the stomach with his fist. Tali tried not to laugh, she really did, but she couldn't help it when it burst from her lips. "Well," Kuronue said with a grin, "At least that got a laugh out of someone."

"She was laughing at the fact you got punched, not your comment. " Kurama muttered.

"whatever, it's a laugh. You've got to admin it's cute when she does that." Kuronue responded.

"As cute as Aimee's laugh?" Kurama asked taking his turn at the teasing.

"Shut up." Kuronue muttered, narrowing his eyes,

"Um, guys…walking softly and all that jazz?" Tali said, looking from one to another to indicate that she was ready to learn this.

"Heh, I'll leave that up to fox man here. I'll see you in a bit." He winked at Tali before heading out.

Once they were alone, Kurama turned back to Tali, the lust back in his eyes. She backed away with her hands in front of her. "Teaching me to walk softly remember?" she asked weakly. He took a breath and let it out slowly.

"Yes. Alright. Close your eyes." When she quirked an eyebrow he said, "You need to be able to hear someone coming before you start being a ghost walker yourself. You need to be able to sense me coming so you know what it feels like from the preys point of view." She opened her mouth to say _I already know how that feels,_ and he raised his hand to silence her. "You will understand what I mean later. Close your eyes." She rolled her eyes, but closed them like she said. And she heard nothing. After a few beats, she opened her eyes again and Kurama was gone. Before she looked around she heard "close your eyes!" so she did. Reluctantly.

"Keep your eyes closed. Try to feel where I am. When you know where I am, before I touch you, look in, turn your head in that direction. . ." she did as she was told, but she didn't like it. Although it was still sunny out, and the sun was being filtered through the trees, she still hatted to stand there, exposed to an unseen force. She jumped when she felt something brush her stomach. A few seconds later, he ran his fingers through her hair. She jumped when his hand brushed over her back.

"Stop tensing up. Relax and breath. Use your other senses to find me." His voice came from behind her and she turned her head. "Good. Sound is a sense that you should heighten." She turned her head back to the front and waited. She breathed in and realized that she could smell the dirt beneath her feet. Another breath told her that it was going to rain soon. Fingers lightly passed over her right breast and she shivered. After a deep calming breath, she tried to locate him by his scent. The faint smell of roses reached her, but it was an unreliable scent. Her senses told her that a few feet away were dozens of rose bushes. If she was in a place beyond the scents of nature she would have a better time identifying his scent from the nature around her. She felt a pinch to her backside and nearly squeaked.

"I am starting to think you want me to touch you." Kurama teased, kissing her quickly on the lips. She shuddered.

"My earlier offer still stands you know." He whispered against her right ear, his hand running over her stomach. She jerked away before his hand could reach below her waist, and he chuckled. She felt a displacement in the air as he moved quickly to her left and she turned her head in that direction. "Good." He said softly. Another displacement in the air told her he was right in front of her. She held her hand up to indicate she knew where he was. "Very good. You can feel me when I cam close. But what happens when I am farther away? See if you can tell. Every thirty seconds, point to where you think I am. If you don't know, just say "I don't know."

"Okay." She said concentrating.

After thirty seconds, she hand no idea where he was and told him so. He informed her that he was to her right. After a few times of her getting it wrong, she shook her head. "I can't do it." She said, exasperated.

"You can." She felt him move in front of her. "Tell me, when I am near, what do you smell?"

"Roses." She said.

"And what do you feel?"

"I…a chill. Kind of. Like the air has suddenly gotten a few degrees colder."

"That's my aura. I am a winter fox so it has an arctic feel. Try to isolate that now."

Thirty seconds passed and she located the chill above her, in the trees and she looked up. Then it was by the rose bushes east of her. Then she felt it by the pond, to her north. Then she felt it behind her, a few feet away, so she turned around. He smiled to himself. His eyes traveled up and down her body at a lazy pace, and he had to shove the image of her naked out of his mind.

"Good. Now that you know what my aura feels like, you can find me. However, you are not going to know your enemy and what they feel like. You need to be able to locate any aura in the area. Lock on my aura then expand your senses. Tell me when you find someone and where they are."

"Okay." She concentrated and expanded her senses. She felt an aura just inside the gates. She reported this and Kurama confirmed her find. A few seconds later, she located a darker aura than the first approaching the light and fluffy aura she had felt before.

"I think that Kuronue is talking to Aimee just inside the gates." She said.

"Correct. Expand it further." He said. So she did. She felt a cluster of auras in what she assumed was the mess hall.

"I guess it's snack time in mess hall." She said, feeling a little cocky.

"Yes. Good. But tell me…can you do it while you are distracted?" he asked. Suddenly she could feel his body pressed to hers and she shuddered. He kissed her neck, just behind her ear and she began to shake. "Concentrate." He whispered, traling kisses down her throat and licking the top of her cleavage.

"I can't when you are doing…oh!" he bit her lower lip before kissing her fully. His hips began to roll against hers and she trembled.

"Who else?" he said coolly, like he was not doing something so, erotic against her. Her breathing quickened as she felt something spark in her navel.

"Someone is…" she struggled when his pace picked up tempo.

"Yes?" he asked in a husky tone,

"Someone is in your office. Fire aura. Kasai?"

" mmmm." As all he said before lifting her leg to wrap around his waist. He pressed himself further into the cradle of her legs that this action provided and rubbed against her harder. She whimpered and he hushed her, kissing the side of her neck and nipping at it. The pressure between her legs began to build, and a pleasant throbbing had started. He adjusted himself so that he was rubbing against both her bundle of nerves and her core. She bit down on his shoulders so she wouldn't cry out.

"Kurama?" she quietly moaned when the pressure was about to explode.

"Shhhhh. I've got you." He said, nuzzling her hair.

"What's happening?" she asked, a little scared.

"You are about to find out. Hold on tight now. "

She wrapped her arms around his neck and put her forehead against his collar bone. He lifted her leg higher and rolled his hips harder and faster against her. She felt a spark, then threw her head back and cried out when an explosion of pleaser rocked through her body and she tensed up through the waves. She shuddered over and over again WHIMPERING. He ran his fingers through her hair, then grabbed a handful and yanked her head back so that she was looking at him. He kissed her hard on the mouth, groaning through the kiss as he had an explosive moment of his own. After a beat, he let her leg go and she stood on it weakly. She placed her forehead on his chest trembling, and he rubbed his hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture.

"You've never had an orgasm before?" he asked in a whisper against her ear.

"No." she breathed. Her face was already turning red and he jerked her face up to look at him.

"Don't be embarrassed by what we did. Don't you dare use this as an excuse to shy away from me. I want you. You want me. You now know how good it can feel. And that was with our clothes on. I can't wait to show you what it feels like without them. " He gave her a wicked grin.

"But…what if the memories…?" she gave him a wide eyed look, trailing off when she saw the intensity of his gaze.

"Then I'll fuck you back to your senses." His grin was full-fledged and she shivered. He kissed her again and started to lower her to the ground beneath him, when he heard a shout.

"Kurama! Boss! HELP!"

He was on his feet in a flash, dragging Tali up with him. Horrified, tali looked behind her to see the back end of the compound was on fire.

"Stay here!" Kurama barked, zooming away and leaving Tali by herself underneath the trees.


End file.
